International Football - Uruguay dreaming of hosting World CupMon, 04 Oct 21:59:00 2010

Uruguay have a dream of staging the World Cup with neighbours Argentina and believe it has every chance of becoming reality in 2030, 100 years after they hosted the inaugural tournament.

The idea has the support of FIFA president Sepp Blatter and Uruguay has an ideal stadium as one of the main venues, Uruguayan Football Association (AUF) president Sebastian Bauza said.

Bauza also said the South American Football Confederation (Conmebol) hoped to retain the same number of qualifying berths at the 2014 finals in Brazil as they have had in recent World Cups.

"We had the chance to talk with Blatter (in Bogota) and at the news conference he said he approved of Uruguay and Argentina organising the World Cup in 2030," Bauza said.

Blatter and Bauza were in Bogota for Colombia's official presentation of next year's Under-20 World Cup.

Bauza said Europe was likely to get the 2018 World Cup, the United States in 2022 and Asia in 2026.

"So it's already on track... For Uruguay, to be able to organise the World Cup again would be very important," added Bauza in an interview on his return from the Colombian capital.

"As things stand today, with 20 years to go, we imagine having the possibility of staging the opening or closing (final) match and have the Uruguay group venue plus a second round or quarter-final matches in the Centenario.

"Only yesterday, I spoke to the minister of Sport and told him this is a project that can be confirmed so we must start work at once," said Bauza.

"The government's support is fundamental and to start investing thinking of the World Cup."

Bauza said there were already plans to modernise the Centenario, the main venue for the 13-nation inaugural finals.

The stadium held the first World Cup final when Uruguay beat Argentina 4-2 in 1930.

Asked whether a second venue could also be in Uruguay, a much smaller country than Argentina, Bauza said Rivera, a Copa America venue in 1995, would be a popular choice for Brazil being on the border between the two countries.

"One could have a venue in Rivera which is on the border with Brazil with Brazil playing there if they qualify...It would be very important for the Brazilians to have a venue in Rivera."

The finals now have 32 teams with the FIFA confederations jostling for berths.

South America, the smallest confederation with only 10 members but almost on a par with Europe in terms of World Cup success, had four and a half places for the last finals, the half allowing a fifth team to play off against a country from another confederation.

That is how Uruguay qualified for South Africa this year, beating the Concacaf 's Costa Rica after finishing fifth in the South American qualifiers before becoming the region's best side by reaching the semi-finals in July.

The Conmebol, headed by Paraguayan Nicolas Leoz, wants to keep that number in addition to Brazil automatically qualifying as hosts, which could end up handing the region six finalists.

"What the Conmebol is saying is we want the berths respected as they were for the Asian World Cup organised by Korea/Japan, as they were respected in Germany with their 13 (European) places plus Germany's berth and as the five (African) places were respected in South Africa plus the place for South Africa.

"In Brazil it must be the same, respect the four and a half berths plus Brazil (already) qualified," said Bauza.

"We're asking for the same thing as in the last World Cups.

This will be discussed in the FIFA congress in December but the truth is it would be an injustice to lose the half berth."

I don't want this coming off as obnoxious, cause isn't meant to be, but I'd like to know what is about countries or cities that think because it is some kind of large anniversary year that they should be able to host a particular event? We're constantly seeing bids put forth, some relatively credible, some not nearly as much, merely on the basis that said location hosted this event so many years ago and it gets to a point where its kinda silly. It's one thing to be sentimental, but does is really seem as feasible as were making it out to be? Furthermore, by the time we reach 2030, we'll be back to probably 12 years since Europe last hosted the World Cup, and I'm not sure they're be so inclined to send the Cup to South America again when other untapped European markets (namely the 2018 losers) are still out there and very much viable.

I'm not overly against the idea of a joint Argentina/Uruguay bid, but I don't know if the reasoning is sound or if UEFA members will feel the same way, and its as much a slam dunk as many of us are making it out to be.

Don't underestimate the importance of both countries in the world football history. That's another important factor. Uruguay and Argentina have won 6 world cups!. Money is not everything, history also matter.

logic suggests 2030 is designated for Europe and then with Brazil hosting 2014, if the US hosts 2022 or 2018, the geographic proximity plus other reasons mean Uruguay/Argentina bid chances are getting slimmer and slimmer. Brazil has hosted before, US have hosted before and so have Uruguay and Argentina combined that with as stated the geographic proximity will mean ultimate doom for the bid. Best chance for Uruguay/Argentina is if the US fails to host the world cup till at least 2034.

Either way, it'll be very tough for Argentina/Uruguay to pull this off.

If our current system is kept, then there will be at least 4 very competitive bids from Europe willing to host it, especially the defeated bids from 2018. I just can't see we have a 16 year period between World Cups in Europe.

If there's no rotation anymore, Europe will probably have hosted it in 2026 and China and Australia/U.S. will probably be eager to bid. And I can't see them beating China either.

I'm pretty sure there will be a WC in Argentina in the 2030's or 2040's - the thing is, they will probably need help in order to host it. And it's more likely to come from Chile than tiny Uruguay.

It would be great if happens, for centenary of World Cup. I am very interested in that, would FIFA be so generous and give this big cup and on special year to first host, and would they agreed on having disproportional number of host cities in two countries.

If I would be chief of WC comitee, I would organize that like this.

Argentina

TWO STADIUMS
Buenos Aires

ONE STADIUM
Cordoba
Rosario
Mendoza
La Plata
Mar del Plata
Avellaneda
San Miguel
San Juan
*Most of these stadiums should go under major refurbishment, and that can be done in like twelve years time (assuming host will be announced in like 2018.)

Uruguay

TWO STADIUMS
Montevideo

ONE STADIUM
Salto
Paysandu
*Those two stadiums could be made with temporary stands, like half of cap is temporary.

Two groups would be held in Uruguay (12 matches), and six in Argentina (36 matches).
Second round - two matches in Uruguay, six in Argentina
Quarter-final - one match in Uruguay, three in Argentina
Semi-final - both matches in Argentina
Third-place match - one match in Argentina
Final - one match in Uruguay - Montevideo, Centenario

Anyway, go Argentina Uruguay 2030 bid

P.S. Cities dont need to be like those I choose, I used biggest I found and I know for.

I don't want this coming off as obnoxious, cause isn't meant to be, but I'd like to know what is about countries or cities that think because it is some kind of large anniversary year that they should be able to host a particular event? We're constantly seeing bids put forth, some relatively credible, some not nearly as much, merely on the basis that said location hosted this event so many years ago and it gets to a point where its kinda silly. It's one thing to be sentimental, but does is really seem as feasible as were making it out to be? Furthermore, by the time we reach 2030, we'll be back to probably 12 years since Europe last hosted the World Cup, and I'm not sure they're be so inclined to send the Cup to South America again when other untapped European markets (namely the 2018 losers) are still out there and very much viable.

I'm not overly against the idea of a joint Argentina/Uruguay bid, but I don't know if the reasoning is sound or if UEFA members will feel the same way, and its as much a slam dunk as many of us are making it out to be.

So take out football world cup from less passionates countries from Asia and North America. Before South Korea/Japan the WC was held one time in Europe the other one in America. We have the same right to host a any other country. And Uruguay, with Argentina can do it better than many europeans.

logic suggests 2030 is designated for Europe and then with Brazil hosting 2014, if the US hosts 2022 or 2018, the geographic proximity plus other reasons mean Uruguay/Argentina bid chances are getting slimmer and slimmer. Brazil has hosted before, US have hosted before and so have Uruguay and Argentina combined that with as stated the geographic proximity will mean ultimate doom for the bid. Best chance for Uruguay/Argentina is if the US fails to host the world cup till at least 2034.

Either way, it'll be very tough for Argentina/Uruguay to pull this off.

If our current system is kept, then there will be at least 4 very competitive bids from Europe willing to host it, especially the defeated bids from 2018. I just can't see we have a 16 year period between World Cups in Europe.

If there's no rotation anymore, Europe will probably have hosted it in 2026 and China and Australia/U.S. will probably be eager to bid. And I can't see them beating China either.

I'm pretty sure there will be a WC in Argentina in the 2030's or 2040's - the thing is, they will probably need help in order to host it. And it's more likely to come from Chile than tiny Uruguay.

So take out football world cup from less passionates countries from Asia and North America. Before South Korea/Japan the WC was held one time in Europe the other one in America. We have the same right to host a any other country. And Uruguay, with Argentina can do it better than many europeans.

I don't think this a case of passion for football in one area or another. The primary issue is why does Uruguay (with significant contribution of assistance from Argentina) feel that they are the most qualified nation to host the 2030 World Cup? If the primary reason is simply for sentiment's sake because they hosted the inaugural Cup in 1930, it's fine, but it's not the sole reason that places should enter the running to host this event. The world is drastically different than it was in 1930 and what worked then doesn't always work now. Right now neither of these countries are qualified to host the World Cup; that is not to say that 20 years from now they may be.

Arbitrary continental rotation and sentiment are terrible reasons for awarding events to certain areas. History and tradition may be on the sides these two nations, but there is no guarantee that members of the voting committees will be as easily swayed as some of us are. We can all be as naive as we want that money doesn't matter but I can bet that FIFA may not always agree with that thinking. They see a world where places like China, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East are burgeoning new markets that are fantastic places to place future editions and expand the game further, as well as make a ton of money in the process.

Tradition is fine, but it can only get us so far. We can't always be so intent on resting on what brought us here, as sometimes we just have to create new traditions in the name of progress.

Well, there is still 30 yers ahed, plenty of time to make certain changes and improve things, specially in infrastructure... Argentine and Uruguay are stable countries with growing economies and a passion for football well known... Now Argentine is gonna host American Cup 2011, so we'll se plenty of work...!

Well, there is still 30 yers ahed, plenty of time to make certain changes and improve things, specially in infrastructure... Argentine and Uruguay are stable countries with growing economies and a passion for football well known... Now Argentine is gonna host American Cup 2011, so we'll se plenty of work...!